Plapp finished sixth at Tour Down Under with broken wrist, medical staff Jayco-AlUla steps in after all

Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) won the Tour Down Under, and Sam Welsford (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) took three stages. Still, Luke Plapp's performance in Australia was the most impressive in retrospect. The 24-year-old Team Jayco-AlUla rider finished sixth in the GC with what now appears to be a broken wrist.

Plapp already told during the Tour Down Under that he was suffering from the joint after a crash on Mount Buffalo (Australia) during training in December. "It was just before New Year's, I was just doing some efforts and descending my favourite mountain, Mount Buffalo, and just came off. But I haven't missed a day of training, and I think I haven't missed a beat in racing, to be honest, either," he told Cyclingnews.

"It's just ligaments and sore. There's no damage to it and the doctors have cleared me and everything so it's just more precaution than anything. I found last year when I raced for a few months through Paris-Nice and the Giro [d'Italia], it just helped having it taped, so I'm just doing that again. I had problems with this wrist as well last year from the Tour Down Under crash so it's troubled me for a year or so - then [the injury] is the exact same spot as it was last year."

Read more below the photo.

Luke Plapp on the Tour Down Under starting podium

Plapp undergoes surgery for wrist injury

Plapp said it all while shrugging his shoulders, not making a big deal. So now it appears it is. Cyclingnews reports that the Australian is opting for wrist surgery. As a result, he will miss the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday, and his Australian campaign is over.

"After suffering with ongoing wrist discomfort from an injury sustained in 2024, Luke Plapp will not race the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race under advice from the team's medical staff after being reassessed," Jayco-AlUla reported. "Plapp will have surgery & rehabilitate his wrist to ensure he is ready for the long 2025 season with big goals ahead." What exactly is wrong with the wrist is not clear. That there is more to it than a strain is evident.

So, it's time for Plapp to take a break and recover. It is unclear whether he will be seen in the UAE Tour, which is planned for February. Australia's triple-time trial and road champion aims for a GC in the Giro d'Italia in May. In preparation, he will do Paris-Nice in March and the Tour de Romandie in April.  

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